Is China the Next Green Superpower?

of Los Angeles. It's more than Chicago. It's more than Phoenix and Philadelphia and San Antonio combined. It's more than San Diego, Dallas, Seattle, and Austin combined. I think we got the idea. It's a lot of people. Yeah, good, because I think I was about to run out of my Citi's there. But you know, but all of this is even more interesting when you consider the images of big cities in China covered in smog. So it got me wondering just how serious China is about moving toward

renewable energy. And there's a bigger question here, you know, are they actually positioned to become the green superpower of the future. So that's what we're talking about today. Let's get started. HEIIR podcast listeners, Welcome to Part Time Genius. I'm Will Pearson and has always I'm joined by my good friend man Guesh Ticketer and on the other side of the soundproof glass, I think calculating his carbon footprint

as our friend and producer Tristan McNeil. So mego. We're talking about China today and specifically asking the question will they become the world's renewable energy superpower? Yeah, and it feels a little strange to be asking that question given the reputation China has with its environmental standards. So if you've ever been to any big city there or even seen photos, China has had this major air quality problem

for decades now. And if you remember back before the two Olympics, I feel like there were so many stories about the Chinese government and how they were like antically trying to plant flowers and trees and trying to pretty everything up. It was almost like they had this messy house and they were rushing to clean before the entire world was dropping in for a visit. Well, I've actually never been, but I feel like anyone I know who's gone just for work or to visit. Briefly, they've returned

talking about that air quality in the big cities. Well, I actually visited once when I was in eighth grade, and I do remember being dusty. But the biggest impression China made on me was that we were in the McDonald's and it was so fancy. In fact, after we ordered, we got kicked out because they were having a wedding there away. Yeah, so that's the first thing I remember.

And and that all the hotels used to give you slippers because it wasn't uncommon for businessmen to just spit on the floors, even in the rooms, and these were nice hotels. Maybe we should change the topic of today's episode. We'll just talk about McDonald's and hotels. Remember, that's right, things Mango remembers about China. But I know you did say it was pretty polluted to and you know, it's been surprising when you see reporters talking about China leading

this green revolution. So so I do want to talk about that today. We'll talk about McDonald's another time. So, I know, like when you mentioned the green revolution thing to me, I was so confused. I've read this two thousand fourteen New Yorker piece about this artist Kai Goo Chang. I'm sure I'm butchering his name, but it was all about how he walks this fine line of commenting on environmental issues but doesn't expressly say it because of the government.

And his pieces are totally crazy, Like he had this giant, rusted out ship that had all these pairs of sick animals on them, like these wand looking zebras and gazelles and wolves and whatever on this bizarro Noah's ark, and he flirted it down this big waterway in Shanghai and docted at this major art museum. He also made this super beautiful lake at the museum. It's this piece called Silent Ink, and he excavated down into the concrete floors.

I'm not sure how he got permission, but then he filled the space with this old calligraphy inc which just feels traditional and poetic. But when you're looking at this lake in a room that's basically all black, you get the pollution reference, right. And also there was this industrial chimney in the space and he put three baby dolls on a swing there and he called an air of Heaven. I mean, none of this is very subtle. Wow, And I actually I'm curious, like, how did this guy not

get arrested. Yeah, I have no idea. I mean, this is a clear critique of the environment and China's handling of it. But he was also the ardent lighting director for the Beijing Olympics, so he's really respected and now he lives in New Jersey. Anyway, Well, I want to give us a really quick overview of the state of the environment in China and what they've done in the past couple of decades, you know, just to set the

stage for what they've been up to recently. Yeah, I'm happy to do that, and I think it might give us some perspective to highlight a couple numbers. First, let me let me look at these. So there are estimates that seven hundred and fifty thousand people or more die prematurely each year because of air and water pollution in China, and some of those estimates say by as much as

five or six years, so it's significant. Yeah, and prepping for today's show, I saw that only about one percent of the country's city residents are breathing clean air on a daily basis. Yeah, it's really staggering and that industrial air pollution is what led to cancer becoming the lead cause of death in China. And they've dealt for years now with major issues around soil contamination, contaminated waterways, and lead poisoning, but you know, will mostly be focusing on

air quality and to a lesser extent, water quality. And one other number or index that helps put things in perspective is the Air Quality Index, and the US Embassy in Beijing began posting that each day, and then that's been going on for several years now. So I've actually seen the air Quality Index before, but can you remind

me what the numbers mean? Sure? And so on the index, you've got this rating of a hundred one to a hundred and fifty, which would indicate slight pollution than a hundred and fifty one, The two hundred means moderate pollution. Then you've got a range that means heavy pollution all the way up to three hundred, and then above that from three oh one to five hundred. This means hazardous levels of pollution. So it's probably in your best interest to steer clear of a rating in that range, and

I'm guessing Beijing's is not that good. Well, it was interesting to see the way the US described it in their post on the first day Beijing score c coust the five hundred more. But that was the first time they actually went above five hundred. Again, this is well above the hazardous range. This was in November of two thousand ten, and the way they described it was just crazy bad. And then they decided to change it to

beyond index. I mean, that's pretty bad when you're going beyond index, especially when the top two hundred points on the index already represent hazardous well, and they didn't stop there. I mean they were readings in two thousand thirteen that were as high as eight hundreds. Perfect is but not good in this case. And you know, obviously at this point the government had to take it more seriously, or at least paid lip service to taking it more seriously.

So they developed this action plan which would work to reduce pollution over a several year period and invest in renewables.

So that's when China began investing in renewables. Well, actually the investments began growing substantially well before this, and that growth really began in two thousand four, two thousand five, and and just to illustrate this growth, So in two thousand four, China invested about three billion dollars on renewable energy, and maybe that sounds like a big figure, but that number grew every year after that until two thousand fifteen, when it reached a hundred and three billion. So again,

that's three billion to a hundred and three billings. Wow, I mean that's a massively So let's talk about China's current usage before we break down their plans for the future. All right, Well, let's start with the fact that, not surprisingly, China uses more energy than any other country. And I think we would expect that given their population. And in two thousand and fifteen, China consumed a little over twenty of what's known as the world's final total consumption of fuel.

So this would be the combination of oil, natural gas, coal, electricity, biofuels, and any other sources. Yeah, so this was crazy to me. I was actually looking at a list of the largest energy uses in the world, and apparently on a per capita basis, China isn't the biggest defender, or even then

the top ten for that matter, it's Iceland. And that's all misleading because it's a calculation of all sources of energy, So Iceland's primarily renewable space energy gets counted into this, and also having a small population throws off the statistic too. But what's weird is that the US also comes in ahead of China on a para capita energy usage basis. Okay, so so let's get back to China. How does their energy usage breakdown? I don't know if I'm ready to

get back to China. I still want to talk about Iceland. Why are they using so much energy? I know it's renewables. We we won't get into that. So all right, Well, coal is still king in China, and while it's been declining in terms of the percentage of the country's energy production, it's still accounts for a little over sixty of this production, and that's now maybe seven or eight percent over the past few years. But you know, to say coal is

big in China is a huge understatement. I think, trying to produce something like forty five percent of the world's coal in two thousand and sixteen. But in addition to that, it's also the largest importer of coal. So this is just a tremendous amount of coal there. And I know the government has been shutting down some coal mines and have talked about restrictions on building new plants. But much like we've heard discussed in the US, there are a

ton of people were employed by the coal industry. I think I saw this New York Times figure that had it at about four million coal miners. Yeah, so it's it's a ton of jobs. And and actually let's keep that number in mind when we talk about the economic opportunity on the renewables front, just to see how it compares. But you know, if you've ever seen any stories or films about the lives of coal miners and several of the rural minds in China, it's an incredibly dangerous job.

And we hear about the dangerous conditions for miners here in the States, but the number of deaths each year in Chinese minds are just staggering. And this is despite the regulations from the Chinese government, because you know, when there's seventeen thousand minds in a country, it's really difficult to actually crack down on the illegally operated minds. These have inadequate ventilation, poorly supported tunnels. But that could definitely

be its own episode. And I know we're going to focus on the impact of the industry as a whole. But actually you were telling me earlier about a statistic on CEO two emissions there. Yeah, let me just find this because I want to get the numbers right. But one report I was looking at noted then two thousand and fifteen, China produce just shy of thirty percent of the world's total c O two emissions from fuel combustion,

and that actually makes it the world's biggest polluter. However, they keep coming back to this per capital defense, which shows they're not at the top of the list when measured per capita. I mean, I remember cheering about this way back in the early OTTs, that there were all these developing countries that thought it was unfair that the US was imposing these environmental restrictions on them, especially at

a time when they were having their industrial booms. Because of course, countries in the West grew without real concern for polluting in their own industrial revolutions and then tapered

back once they were like these bustling economies. But I mean, it's it's really interesting to note that back in China produce less than six percent of the world's CEO two emissions and now it's thirty so it's been this massive increase, and especially since the early two thousand's when emissions really skyrocket, is so six percent to Yeah, that is that is huge. Alright, So so coal is the biggie here. Well, actually, what

about oil? I mean, I know you were looking into their oil usage and are they also the biggest user there too? And I know I've seen several stories about how much the auto industry has been growing in China. Yeah, so car sales have grown tremendously, with twenty four million more people getting cars in two thousand fifteen. And here's

what's crazy. So the economists noted that China is at about a hundred twenty vehicles per a thousand people, which is around the level of America and the nineteen twenties. So if you think about that figure, it's inevitable that's going to grow significantly in and with that, the demand for oil is definitely going to increase as well. But despite that, they still haven't cracked the top ten in oil usage still. I mean, oil provided about of China's

energy in two thousand fifteen. All right, well, let's briefly talk about natural gas and nuclear and neither of them are currently a significant percentage of China's energy usage. And then we'll talk about China's role in the green revolution. Definitely, So China actually produces less energy from natural gas than it does from renewable sources. But we should note that the US is both the largest producer and the largest

user of natural gas in the world. Okay, so what about nuclear I mean, the the US is the biggest producer there too, right, Definitely, so the US is the biggest producer by a pretty wide margin. It's nearly twice as much the next biggest, and that would be France. But it is interesting way when you look at France, like how they use it. They produce a whopping seventy

eight percent of its electricity from nuclear power. Yeah, and China produces about three percent of its power from nuclear But China appears to be investing more than pretty much everyone else in the space. So just last year they brought on five new reactors, which is the most they've ever brought on in a year, and they're almost a couple dozen more being built right now. In fact, China accounted for pretty much all of the global nuclear power

increase in two thousand sixteen. That's huge. All right. Well, well, I know we're going to take a break for a quiz in a minute, but before we do, I feel like I can actually hear some of our listeners screaming at their phones or speakers and saying, you know, why did you put nuclear in the no on renewable sources of energy? Because nuclear will be very good for air quality,

and I feel like we need to address that really quickly. Yeah. So, there's this ongoing debate of where to classify nuclear energy, and part of the debate just has to do with how exactly you define renewable energy. Yeah, that's right. And technically, renewable energy is a form that's capable of regenerating or replenishing itself indefinitely. So we're typically talking hydro solar, wind, geothermal, biomass.

But you know, nuclear energy, on the other hand, generally requires uranium for the fission process, and that's where the heat is generated. Then the nuclear plants convert this heat into the electricity using steam. So according to that definition,

uranium is this finite resource. Yeah, but those in support of classifying it as a renewable resource, they point out that one of the main points of focusing on renewable resources is to create cleaner power, and that nuclear power provides this low carbon emission option, so they argue that focus shouldn't be on whether the resources technically finite so much as whether it reduces carbon emissions. But many opponents are actually not pointing to its status as of finite

resources their main objection. I mean, many of them feel that the harmful nuclear waste that's produced in the process of creating nuclear energy, that's what's problematic and allowing it to be classified as renewable. But either way, it's definitely a much cleaner source than coal when it comes to carbon emissions, and this is something China appears to be taking pretty seriously. Well, now that we've got out of our system, why don't we take a quick break for

a quiz. So I want to be honest about something. So our guest today, Um certainly has many international connections, and that might have been part of the excuse for bringing on the show today, but I actually want to admit that the real reason that she's on is she's the first person who's written in with the fun fact that her older brother is a competitive curler in the state of North Dakota. Have you have you ever met anyone who's a curler in the state of North Dakota Ango, No,

I haven't. So that's that's that's a big bonus here. But Jordan Terry, welcome to Part Time Genius. Thanks for having me guys. So, Jordan, where are you joining us from today? I am in Denver, Colorado. Wonderful. I love Denver. Well, we'll tell us a little bit of what you do there. Um So, I'm in Denver because I'm studying to get my massive degree in global finance. Um So, we do study a lot about trade and specifically China for sure.

Um But I am also working full time remotely right now UM as an academic director for an intercultural institute that has locations all over the world. Um So, I work in terms of managing teachers and supporting academic departments at UM several institutes that have academic programs for locals, and we work in a lot of areas that have like development needs so that we can receive international students who want to study abroad and also do some volunteering

abroad as well. I think that's super cool, that's wonderful. I do have to ask though, when you share the fact about your brother being a competitive curler, is that true or were you really just using that to try to get on the show. It is true. He's my younger brother actually, um. And so he is a junior at North Dakota State University and he decided to go there because he'd be able to continue curling. Um. And we're actually hoping for Bago for the Winter Olympics for

him and his teammates. So our fingers are crossed. That's amazing. I actually saw on TV last night, I think the US curling team was playing the Scottish curling team, which is is just amazing that that's a televised event. But uh, I also really love that you come from this family of athletes, right. Your dad was in the Junior Olympics as a skier. But but you've read Harry Potter every book at least two dozen times? Is that true? That is true. I'm not as huge a fan of the movies.

I have seen them all multiple times, um, But I grew up with Harry Potter. I got the first and second books right after they came out, and so in the anticipation every year of waiting for the next book to come out. I would reread them all over and over again. I say, the first three or four I've read even more than that, and then the last few, like I do an annual reread of the whole series. And that's wonderful. It's a true athlete, just like the

rest of the family. That's uh, that's amazing. Alright. Well, as you know, today's episode is asking the question about whether China will become a green superpower, and so we're focused on several alternative energies in this in this episode. But Mango, what what quiz are we putting Jordan to the test with today? It's called the Alternative Alternative Energy Quiz? All right, the Alternative Alternative Energy Quiz. We've got five true or false questions for you. Are you ready Jordan's

I guess? Okay, here we go. Question number one. In Rotterdam, there's a sustained bill dance club called Club What where the electricity for the lights and speakers is generated by footsteps from ravers feet. Is this true or false? That has to be true? Yeah, it is. And the club also features a tapwater bar and toilets that are flushed with rainwater. Wow, alright, She's one for one. Question number two. In two thousand eleven, two artists designed a line of

carnivorous furniture based on venus fly traps. Their digital clock catches insects and can be powered for twelve days on eight dead flies. Is this true or false? That is so ridiculous. I could imagine Mango writing that fact, but oh, it's actually true. They also have a lamp powered on insects and a table that feeds on mice and has lights on under it. It's crazy. I have to be honest with you, Jordan. I I felt for that one as well. As soon as I read that, I was like, Oh,

that's a total Mango lie. That is that's too good to be through. Alright, one one out of two. The question number three, The Army has developed a line of radios and phones that run on sugar cubes instead of batteries using Splendor. However, will jam up the circuits? True? Or faults that? Yeah? You're right, all right. Question number four. Iceland runs a deep drilling project that's been drilling three miles into the ground to harness energy from super hot magma.

True or faults? Um? I don't know. Iceland is a pretty I think Iceland is a pretty sustainable place and lots of drilling doesn't really line up, But that does sound like something that could be possible, so true. Yeah, you're right. I mean Iceland uses a number of these geo thermal wells, but this one should actually be able to supply fifty homes with natural energy. Alright, that's awesome. So Jordan, you're three out of four so far, the last one for the Big Prize. Here we go, question

number five. In Australia, dairy armors have been tying special plastic bags two cows backsides to capture their gas, or rather their methane gas. They then sell the energy back to the state. Is this true or false? Yeah, you're right. I mean there are a few scientists working on extracting methane from cow patties, but actually bagging your cow from the behind isn't actually a practice. Let's not use that phrase anymore. I think maybe we should avoid that one.

But all right, question so she Uh so Jordan has gotten four out of five? Is that right? Mango? Yeah? Absolutely, and that entitles her to our big prize, which today is will be pony expressing her an official part time Genius Certificate of Genius which you can put on her fridge or frame for her mother, and will also send her a box of Nerd Candies, which is the official

candy of Part Time Genius. Wow. Well, congratulations, Jordan's best of luck to you and your job, and best of luck to your brother and his efforts to to go of Beijing and the next Olympics. But thank you so much for joining us today on Part Time Genius. My pleasure. Guys, thank you. Welcome back to Part Time Genius. So before the break, we were looking at the breakdown of China's primary sources of energy. We had coal, oil, nuclear, and

to a lesser extent, natural gas. So let's talk about the investment in renewable energies and this idea that China could become the big superpower because of their investment in green technologies. Yeah. So, as we talked about earlier in the show, China's ranked up its investment in renewable energy

significantly since two thousand four. They've gone from a total of three billion dollars in two thousand four to a hundred and three billion in two thousand fifteen, and now in two thousand and sixteen that number did fall to a little below ninety billion, as it did in many locations across the globe, and that's partly because of these populist movements that have been taken hold across the globe.

So that's like the ones experience in the UK with the Independence Party and here in the US with Donald Trump. But even at this level, we're still talking thirty times more than what was spending two thousand four. Yeah, it's

a huge increase. And the Chinese government officials announced in January that the country plans to spend over three hundred and sixty billion dollars on renewable energy through and they've stated goals of having fifteen percent of energy consumption being from renewable sources by and then thirty by, which is crazy. But this is the part I'm excited to talk about, and that's why China is making these changes, and that is what what are their motivations, because there's more involved

than just making a cleaner environment. Yeah it's true, you know, but the public outcry over deadly urban air pollution has accelerated this push for clean energy. NPR recently had this story on how China's middle class has really been pushing for change, and that the state run paper had a story on three mothers and how they were dealing with pollution. One of them kept their kids inside barricaded with multiple

air purifiers running. One moved away from the city entirely just for her children's health, and the story was heavily circulated. That is, of course, before the government censored it. There was also this two thousand fifteen documentary called Under the Dome. It was watched two hundred million times and praised by the environmental ministry before that also got pulled by the government. And the government is clearly aware of the problem, but it's also very clear that it doesn't want to be

criticized for it either. Well, it's hard to ignore the I mean, National Geographic estimated that more than one million people die each year due to air pollution. So that urban middle classes making noise for a reason. Yeah, but like you were heading at that, you know, the other compelling reason is the economic impact. Is Anton lu who's a professor at Indiana University School of Public and Environmental Affairs, told National Geographic quote, it's not just pollution that's driving

the determined focus on renewable power. Leaders have made clear that they view clean energy as a powerful engine for job creation. It's about setting up for manufacturing dominance. China sees green energy as an opportunity where it can become a manufacturing monster, the way it has in clothes and toys monster. So I know, I'm just stringing quotes here, which is something my journalism teacher from high school and

mrs where he asked me never to do. But this is not a good quote from the Financial Times Deputy Beijing bureau chief and her name's Lucy Hornsby, and this is what she says. Quote. The Chinese point of view is that, Okay, everyone's worried about climate change. The western countries are about to plow a whole lot of money into trying to stop it happening. We can supply the manufactured goods, we can supply the wind turbines, we can

supply the solar panels. So the whole paris climate change action is viewed as a massive export opportunity for China inc. So, I mean you can see there this investment is definitely

creating jobs. And if you remember that four million coal miners that we were talking about, well, China already claims to have three point five million jobs in the clean energy space, which is far more than any other country, and the goal is to create ten million jobs in clean energy and that's part of this move to have fifteen percent of energy coming from clean energy sources by ten million, that is huge. Well, I think many would

see this as the real motivator for China's investment. And we'll talk in a few minutes about why there's some real skepticism over their desire to actually battle global warming. But let's get back to where China stands in their investments in renewable energy. So which one of these do

you want to talk about first? Well, I think we should talk about hydropower, just because I like saying the word hydro d So, China produces more hydro electricity than any other country on Earth, and it's not even close. Like Canada comes in second, and they only produce about

one third of what China does. And if you want to illustrate what their investment has done, in nineteen seventy three, China produced about three percent of the world's hydro electric power, and the two thousand fifteen it was nearly about a fifth of their electricity comes from hydro power. That's impressive. What we should pause for a second though, to note the country that gets the greatest percentage of its power from hydro electricity. I was looking this up and it's

actually Norway. So they get about nineties six pc of their power from hydro Isn't that incredible? It is. I feel like we should send them a certificate of some kind. Let's let's work on it, and definitely so check your mail Norway sometime in the future. Anyway, let's talk about another one where China has grown its global share tenfold over the past decade, and that's wind power. So just

a second, I'm going to pull out these stats. So they went from producing about two percent of the world's wind power in two thousand five to in two thousand fifteen. And the US currently produces a slightly larger percentage at but given the level of investment, you have to imagine China is going to be passing the US before too long. Well, when you look at these numbers, I don't think there's any question about that. And here are some recent numbers

I saw from earlier this year. China produces almost half of the world's wind turbines Goldwin, which is a Chinese company is now the largest wind turbine manufacturer in the world, and five of the top ten wind turbine manufacturers of the world are in China. I mean, that's just huge. And according to New York Times, one out of every

three turbines in the world is also located in China. So, you know, while the US may have produced slightly more power in recent years from wind, with all the new wind turbines in China, there's something like nine two thousand of them, and they have the capacity to generate almost

twice as much wind power as the US. So well, only three percent of China's power is currently coming from wind, that that number doesn't fully reflect the impact they're having on the industry and how that sector is positioned for significant growth there. Yeah, and one of the issues they're currently dealing with now is how much of their wind power is being wasted or curtailed as they might say. So,

what's I mean exactly? Well, curtailman is something that you hear about when wind turbines or solar panels stopped producing and this is happening even though they could produce more, and as a result, you lose that surplus energy and This often happens if a power grid is overwhelmed and not really appropriately equipped to handle all the energy coming into it. Look at the numbers. In two thousand sixteen, nearly twenty of wind energy was lost because of curtailment.

So that's something the government is really trying to tackle and they have a plan to get that down to about five percent by Okay. So before we move on, we we forgot to name the country that gets the greatest percentage of its power from wind, and that title belongs to Spain at about eighteen So great job, Space. Yeah, you might also get a sort of you will get a certificate wo stepping up. Okay, all right, so we just mentioned solar, so why don't we talk about that

one next. And this is another one where even though they're at about one percent of their electricity generated coming from solar, they're still playing a huge role in the future of this industry. Again, just look at the numbers. So China is now producing two thirds of the world's solar panels, and in a five year period they've increased their solar power production tenfold. In two thousand and fifteen,

they produced eighteen percent of the world solar electricity. And I saw one quote from the New York Times earlier this year, and that said quote Greenpeace estimates that China covered the equivalent of one soccer field every hour with solar panels. Wow, and I know you're a big soccer fans. I'm sure that quote really hit home with you. Yeah, but just look at what their investment has done in

this industry. So six of the top ten solar panel manufacturers are Chinese companies, and two thirds of the world's solar panels come from China. I mean, they're the ones responsible for the huge decline in prices, and some estimates has solar panel pricing falling by as much as over the past ten years or so. So when you think about it from an environmental perspective, this investment has been a good thing. But again it's largely driven by economics

and China wants to own this space. And now there are more than two and a half million people employed by the solar power industry there. That's about ten times as many people employed by that industry in the US. And China is now home did the largest solar farm

on Earth. And here's how Tom Phillips, he's a reporter for The Guardian described it, quote, high on the Tibetan Plateau, a sea of nearly four million deep blue panels flows towards a spectacular horizon of snow capped mountains, mile after mile of silicon cells tilting skywards from what was once a barren, wind swept cattle ranch. The remote seven square kilometers solar farm tops an ever expanding roll call of supersized symbols that underlying China's determination to transform itself from

climate villain to green superpower. And that's a cool description. But actually, just as a side, now, did you hear about the huge solar panel farm that's actually shaped like a giant panda bear? I mean I did see that, but I was curious, what was it actually real? Yeah, this was pretty widely reported on it and when I saw the image at first, I wondered the same thing, and so I turned to the always fascinating Snopes just to check this out. And it it turns out the

solar panel farm itself is real. But the image that was all over the place you might have seen on various websites, that was just an artist rendering and it's not an actual photo. But the farm is apparently two d and five acres, and there are plans to build a hundred more of these panda shaped solar farms across China and other countries in Asia. Kind of makes you want to just travel by plane across the country when

all of these are there, just to see them. And it's totally worth googling just to see the image, even if it's not an actual photo. Yeah. I mean, it's fascinating to see how Chinese companies are improving their solar technology each year, and they're figuring out how to build these panels cheaper and cheaper, but still maintaining this incredible level of quality. And they're not just selling to the

US anymore. I mean, we're we're talking countries like Saudi Arabia and India, whether they need to provide panels for extremely dry climates, are incredibly humid ones, they're finding ways to produce them well. And this has all happened because of this huge government push to get really low interest rate loans too solar panel manufacturers. And I want to say it was something like eighteen billion dollars in loans.

The government got state owned banks to give to these companies, and this was just over a six or seven year period. So the focus on investing in these kinds of businesses and becoming a leader in them is also connected to mine is Belt and Road initiative, and this is the massive infrastructure investment. China's leading across the historic Silk Road

and that connects Asia to Europe. They've got nearly seventy countries to join in this effort in some way, and the plan is for China to invest about I think it's like a hundred and fifty billion dollars each year in infrastructure. So we're talking bridges, roads, railways, power plants, pipelines, things like that. And you know, this is definitely a very different China than we were used to seeing, you know,

just a couple of decades ago. Well, I mean that brings us back to the comment earlier about China's real motivation in this massive investment in green technologies. Yeah, well, the huge outcry from the urban middle class definitely had an impact, you know, as as as Beth Gardner noted in a PC wrote for National Geographic Quote, the results are sometimes more cosmetic than real. Leaders order temporary factory

closures to clear the air ahead of something. You know, these high profile events like international summits, they close factories for weeks in November December just so the city won't exceed its annual pollut shin limit. That's crazy. But what seems even more alarming to me is that while coal plant construction is being limited within Chinese borders, Chinese companies

are actually building coal plants abroad. And when you look at the new coal projects going online over the next decade or so, Chinese companies are responsible for about half of them, and countries like India, Vietnam, Mongolia, Iran, Indonesia. Some of these are in countries that haven't historically used coal as an energy source, and they're looking to expand in places like Pakistan and Egypt, which aren't currently really

cold burning countries. So while we might be celebrating the significant investment in green technologies in China itself, like these new plants in the works would increase the world's capacity to burn coal by over well. And I was looking at a figure the other day, so two of the big global banks in China have finance more than forty billion dollars in overseas coal projects over the past couple

of decades. I think it's pretty clear that China maybe trying to some extent to clean up their own small and pollution problem, but I'm not sure how much they care about the real global situation. Yeah, but I still feel like there are a couple of reasons to be optimistic. So first, as we talked about earlier, China's massive investment has caused the prices of renewable technologies to drop significantly across the globe, and they'll likely continue to get cheaper.

There's a Chinese company currently constructing a solar farm in the UAE, and it's going to produce electricity for much less than it costs US companies to produce both solar and coal power. Well, and I also saw it's much faster to build a solar or wind farm than it is to get a coal fired plan up and running. I mean, we're we're talking a huge difference. It's something like six months versus about ten years. I had no

idea it took that long. So another thing is that China is certainly not alone in implementing new policies to restrict coal productions. So take India for example, They're trying to get over half their energy from renewable sources by seven, and that's just incredible. You have to think that worldwide momentum is just going to continue. Yeah, and it that

is incredible, it's it's also encouraging. Yeah. So there's one more big reason to be optimistic, and that's the fact that investors are much more likely to get behind clean energy projects these days. The World Bank doesn't provide financing to overseas coal projects and that's, you know, aside from the rare exception because of extreme circumstances, and many Chinese banks are falling in line with this practice. So a lot of analysts think we're just seeing the beginning of

this tremendous acceleration of renewable adoption around the world. Well, those those definitely seem like reasons to be optimistic. And but but I do feel like there's maybe one more reason to be optimistic. Is a fact off time you bet it is? M all right, well, I'll kick us off here. So have you heard about America's first completely solar powered community? Is this seventeen thousand acre town in

South Florida, and it's called Babcock Ranch. It's expected to begin accepting residents before the end of the year and The project has taken about a decade or so to get together, but it's coming soon. And when you're there, you'll be able to get around by self driving shuttles. And that's pretty interesting to read about. But you better hurry because the town's capacity is only fifty thousand. So

I've got a solar power fact too. We talked about the panda shaped solar panel farm, but there's a hundred square mile floating solar farm in the Anui province. I mean, like in the air, floating and no, I mean it's in water. Their waveproof solar panels, and and they're floating on a lake that formed, oddly enough after the collapse of a network of coal mines. It's the world's largest floating solar project, and it generates enough power to provide

electricity to a significant portion of a city nearby. I mean the government plans to expand the system to about a dozen other locations, which would then generate the power equivalent of a commercial nuclear reactor. Did you know that part of the reason people are speaking up in China

about the environment is because of religion. According to the New York Times, hundreds of millions of people in China have turned to Taoism, Buddhism, Christianity, and Islam recently, and apparently as concepts like karma and sin have come to the forefront, the public has paid more attention to their impact on the environment and the world. People have also used their religions as a reason to speak up. That's

really fascinating. So in two thousand tend the Wall Street Journal report on a scientist at Berkeley who determined how to trace pollutents back to areas of origin. And this is what she found. Apparently twenty nine percent of the pollution in the East Bay traced back to China. I mean, the article ended on this smart point though quote. The question now is how much of that twenty nine percent can be attributed to San Francisco's penchant for China made

iPhones and iPads. All Right, So we talked earlier about the significant growth of the auto market in China, and China is also the leader in electric vehicle sales, with nearly half of all electric vehicles sold in two thousand sixteen being in China. Well, I know that's impressive, but I think I've got an even more staggering figure, and that's that there are now two hundred million electric bikes in China, which is way more than the six electric

cars and three electric buses there. I mean, they're a great option for those who can afford cars but are looking for an easier way to commute. Plus is their mission free. Two hundred million of these things? All right, Well, I have to admit, a mag you've definitely one up to me here, so I'm going to give you the Fact Off Trophy today. Congratulations, excellent, and I'm never giving it back. All right, all right, hey, guys, thanks so much for listening. Don't forget we love hearing from you.

Call us any time on Fact hot Line. That's one eight four four pt Genius or email us at part Time Genius at how stuff Works dot com. A big thanks to Jocelyn Sears for her excellent research on this episode. See you next time. Thanks again for listening. Part Time Genius is a production of How Stuff Works and wouldn't be possible without several brilliant people who do the important things we couldn't even begin to understand. Tristan McNeil does

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